Wi-Fi and Health
The Wi-Fi Alliance takes any concern about the alleged health impact of Wi-Fi technology seriously. Although questions have been raised, a range of scientific research undertaken to-date concludes there is no evidence that low-power wireless networks pose health threats to users or to the general public. Wi-Fi technology meets all national and international safety requirements and emits signals that are typically hundreds to thousands of times below international safety limits.
The World Health Organization has reviewed the various bodies of research that have been conducted and has concluded that, due to the research results and the very low exposure levels associated with Wi-Fi, there is no convincing scientific evidence that the weak radio frequency signals from wireless networks cause adverse health effects. You can find more information from the World Health Organization by clicking on the following link: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs304/en/index.html
An independent and comprehensive study sponsored by the Wi-Fi Alliance and conducted by the University of Pennsylvania in March 2007 took 356 measurements at 55 Wi-Fi sites in four countries, under conditions involving higher than normal exposures. The study found RF fields from Wi-Fi in typical environments operate far below exposure guidelines. In all cases, the measured Wi-Fi signal levels were very far below international exposure limits (IEEE C95.1-1992 and ICNIRP) and in nearly all cases far below other RF signals in the same environments. You can find the details of the study on the following link: http://hps.org/hpspublications/articles/wirelessnetworks.html
The Health Protection Agency does not consider there to be problems with the safety of Wi-Fi. For more information visit the following link: http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/Radiation/UnderstandingRadiation/UnderstandingRadiationTopics
Wi-Fi is at the center of today’s connected experience. Already a network of choice in an estimated 201 million households1 and countless enterprises and schools worldwide, Wi-Fi continues to expand as the technology of choice for traditional home, government and business networks, as well as in industries such as smart energy, transportation and health care. Nearly a billion Wi-Fi devices have shipped to-date2 and the technology is increasingly a part of people’s everyday lives, allowing users to connect with each other where they want, when they want.
Due to the ubiquity of Wi-Fi technology, questions about the safety of radio waves and Wi-Fi devices tend to arise from time to time. The wireless industry takes these concerns very seriously. The following brochure is designed to answer questions about the health and safety aspects of Wi-Fi and to share the research findings of reputable, global public health institutions on this topic.
1 Parks Associates, “Networks in the Home: Global Growth; A Report for the Wi-Fi Alliance”.
2 ABI Research, December 2010
